Sign



May 7, 1929. w, E PRlCE 1,712,355

SIGN

Filed Oct. 3, 1925 INVENTOR Patented May 7, 1929 UNITED STATES 1,712,355 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. PRICE, OF WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 AURORA BEACON CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Ygil CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SIGN.

Continuation of application Serial No. 60,159, filed. October 3, 1925.

Serial No. 60,160.

This invention relates to signs. More particularly the invention is directed to a sign of improved construction adapted for use in advertising, show room display, as indicators, markers, and for other like purposes.

One object of the invention. is to provide a sign of the character oescribed of improved construction as to enable same to be suspended and used as a hanging sign or reversed and rested on a support, and having legend plates which may be interchanged, reversed, or replaced.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an improved sign of the character described comprising few and simple parts, which shall be neat, attractive, and artistic in appearance, inexpensive to manufacture, and practical and eflicient to a high. degree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out. 1

Certain features herein shown and described are shown, described and claimed in my co -pending application Serial No. 60,159 filed on the 3rd day of October, 1925, the present application being a continuation of said copcnding application.

lVith the above exception, the invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elementsand arrange ment of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application ,will be inclicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a sign embodying the invention in suspended p0sition;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view showing an enlarged detail view taken on line 3--3 in Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sign shown resting on a support; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 5 5 in Fig. l. 1

Referring in detailto the drawing, 10 denotes an electrically illuminated sign embodying the invention, and which is seen to comprise a casing 11 having legend plates 12 which form the closures for the front and of the bar 11 This application filed October 3, 1925.

rear sides thereof. The ends of the casing are provided by parallel triangularly shaped members 119, connected together at their apex portions 11 by a cross bar 11, the base portrons thereof being connected by a removable cover 11 which forms a closure for the side of the casing opposite said bar 11 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The end members 11 bar 11, and cover 11 are oined together to form a rigid structure in any well known manner, as by means of lug and screws 13.

F or removably retaining the legend plates 12 in place, each end member 11 is provided with an inturned flange 11 and the edge portions thereof and the adjoining edge portions and cover 11 are each provided with rim grooves 14c for slidably receiving said plates. Thus the legend plates form enclosing sides for the casing and may be disiiiounted by simply removing the cover 11 for interchanging said plates and for reversing them when the sign is reversed from the suspended position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to a standing position shown in Fig. 1. Spaced legs 19 projecting outwardly from each of the end members 11? provide convenient means for supporting the sign 1.0 in eitherposition, said legs serving as car members for a chain 19 or as a base for the sign as will be readily understood.

F or lighting the interior of the sign, an electric lighting fitting 15 having lamps 16 housed within the casing and mounted on the cover l1 is provided and connects with a suitable power source (not shown) through conductor wires 16.

Each legend plate may be made in any well. known manner to have the le end formed with opaque lettering with a translucent background or with translucent lettering with an opaque back-ground. In the form here shown and more fully described in my aforementioned application, said plate 12 comprises a sheet of metal, fibre, composition or other suitable material preferably forming a relatively stiit' backing.

A. desired legend 20, or a display device in the fornrof letters, symbols, or ornamentation is outlined or stencilled on said sheet and said legend out out in any well known manner. A strip 17 of flexible fabric such as textile fabric, paper, or other like material which is translucent or may be made so, is applied to the'rear side 12" of the sheet 12,

and portions l7 of said strip are drawn through the cutout portions of the backing member 12 so as to project beyond the front side thereof. The legend or device is thus given the effect of being raised or embossed. For artistic effect, the pro ecting or intaglio surfaces 17 of said pro ecting portions are preferably left uneven and irregular to simulate rough out stone. To secure the strip '17 and intaglio surface 17 in a fixed position,

a. suitable adhesive such as sodium silicate, shellac, varnish, lacquer, or other like substance is employed and preferably is applied to bothsides of the strip. Thus the strip 17 may be china silk and coated with sodium silicate. The latter'tlien also serves as afire resistant. Shellac, varnish, or lacquer is preferably used in place of the sodium silicate as an adhesive and coating wher the sign is exposed to moisture. To waterproof a sodium silicate-coated strip, a surface coating of shellac, varnish, or lacquer may be provided.

- Any of the aforementioned substances when applied to the strip and dried is effective, tostiffen the intaglio portions 17 for retaining thein in their proper shape, said portions then forming what is commonly t'erined'an' unbreakable structure which is highly 'efiicient as a light diffusing medium, being relatively thin and translucent because of its texture.

For holding the unattached portion 12 of "the backing sheet 12, incorporated in the legend, against accidental displacement, bowed bridging arms 18 are provided for anchoring said'po 'tion 12 to the rearside of said sheet, sa-id'ai'ms being made of transparent material or of relatively thin wires which'can cast only imperceptible shadows across the translucent legend.

On the interior side of the backing sheet .11, the uncut out portion thereof may be provided with a suitable lightretlecting sur face, as for example white paint or metallic foil, to increase the interior illumination of the sign. To produce various lighting effects such as color effects and the like, the lamps 16 may be colored. and, may be provided with automatic. circuit making and breaking means in the well understood manner, or slide holding means 21 may be provided on the rear side of the plate 12 'for re-movably holding a colorlslide 22 over the cut-out portions of. thebacking member 12. The outer background surface of the plate 12 may be given any; desired finish by'r painting, polishing, plating, engraving, covering with a textile fabric, orhamn'iering to form a. pebbled surface. V

It is apparent that the sign 10 constructed as above described is very practical since it can be easily, simply and inexpensively fitted with legend plates having styles of lettering to suit any individualistic taste and is adaptplate is also positioned closer to a plane per pendicular to the line of vision. The legend, such as elaborate lettering, symbols, and ornamentation'is thus clearer and more legible and the sign more effective. Also it has been found that signs with convergingly disposed le end plates lighted from the interior as shown and described have greater illuminating efficiency than similar signs with parallelly extending legend plates.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. 7

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

' Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A sign of the character described comprising a casing having end members and cross members rigidly connecting said end members, one of said cross members being substantially wider than the other and adapted to support means for illuminating the interior of the casing, a legend plate removably secured to form a side closure for said casing, and projections at the longitudinal edges of the wider cross member having provision for mounting the sign in a depending position, said projections serving as a broad base to rest the sign on a support when turned upside down.

2. A sign of the character described, :1 casing having triangularlv shaped end members, a cross-bar connecting the apexes of said members, a cover member extending be tween the sides of said members opposite the apexes, lighting means mounted on said member for illuminating the interior of the casing, and a plate having translucent portions forming a legend removably supported to form a side closure for said casing.

3. A sign of the character described comprising a casing having end members and cross members connecting said ends one of said cross members being substantially wider than the other and adapted to support means for illuminating the interior of the casing, and a legend plate removably secured to form a side closure for said easing,and projecting means formed integral with the casing for selectively mounting the casing to permit sloping the plate downwardly or upwardly away from an observer as and for the purpose described and specified.

4. A sign oi the character described, a casing having triangularly shaped end members, a cross-bar connecting the apexes of said members, a cover member extending between the sides of said members opposite the apexes, lighting means mounted on sald cover member for illuminating the interior of the casing, and a plate having translucent portions i'orming a legend removably supported to form a side closure for said casing, and projections adjacent the cover member for mounting the casing in a depending position, said projections serving as legs to rest the sign on a support when said sign is turned upside down.

5. A sign of the character described comprising a casing having substantially triangular end members, a Wide cross-member connecting the base sides of the end members, a narrow cross-member connecting the apex portions of the end members, projections integral with the wide cross-member for resting said sign on a support, said projections having provision for suspending the sign.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM E. PRICE. 

